US President Donald Trump said yesterday (Wednesday) that he wants to ensure that the television network CNN, which he has for years accused of serving his Democratic opponents by calling it an “enemy of the people,” will change hands as part of the sale of its parent Warner Bros Discovery.

The US media and entertainment conglomerate, which owns CNN, has become the subject of a dispute between its would-be buyers, rival Paramount Skydance and streaming giant Netflix.

Led by David Ellison, son of multibillionaire Trump ally Larry Ellison, Paramount Skydance is proposing to acquire all of Warner Bros Discovery, including CNN.

Under Netflix’s offer, CNN would instead remain a separate entity to be listed on the stock exchange.

During a debate yesterday at the White House, Donald Trump said the network must be part of the buyout deal or sold separately.

“I think CNN should be sold because the people running it right now are dishonest, they’re incompetent,” the former “reality” TV star said, reverting to his usual rhetorical patterns about the media.

He has said he will be personally involved in the government’s decision on the takeover, which is highly unusual; such matters are generally left to the Justice Department.

According to US media, the two would-be buyers, which President Trump describes as “good companies”, have both approached the White House to secure its support for their bids.

The Republican billionaire has for years been openly hostile to CNN and other major media outlets, accusing them of lying, spreading “fake news” in the phrase he likes to use, and frequently attacking them via social media sites and beyond.

His insistence that CNN fall into friendly hands seems to favor Paramount Skydance’s bid.

After David Ellison took over in August, the television and film conglomerate remarkably placed Barry Weiss, a figure of “anti-woke” journalism, as editor-in-chief of CBS News, another target of Mr. Trump’s constant, fierce rant.

The network, moreover, decided shortly before he took over to announce the end of the Late Show, the late-night show hosted by Stephen Colbert, who never hesitated to criticize the current president.

Trump single-handedly lashed out again at Paramount on Monday for approving the CBS News broadcast of an interview with his former loyalist, now rival, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Netflix is seen, unlike Paramount, as having ties to Democrats. Its co-founder, Reid Hastings, is among the opposition party’s big donors.